Connie Collins, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

March 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Happy Easter! I have been really busy and almost forgot to post a card for this weekend. This is another one of the cards I designed for Jill. I think she ended up using a simpler version for her workshop. It is easier than it looks, but requires a lot of easy hand cutting. Thankfully, I kept the instructions I sent to Jill on how to make this card, so rather than re-invent the wheel, I just decided to
paste the basic info below.

CARD BASE: A2 Calypso Coral CS Base

CARD LAYERS: Stamp 8-10 each of the Chevron designs from "Oh. Hello" with Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral ink on Very Vanilla card stock.Starting on the lower left side, attach chevron pieces along the edge of an over-sized piece of Very Vanilla CS. Leave an even amount of space between each design. After you have attached all of the chevrons, trim down to 3 3/8" wide x 5.25" tall. Attach panel to a slightly wider piece of Lucky Limeade CS. Then attach assembled panel to the Calypso Coral card base.

Stamp "Oh, Hello" in Lucky Limeade on Very Vanilla CS. Punch out with the Decorative Label punch leaving room on the left side to add flower later. Use Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade markers to color flower. Stamp onto a scrap of Very Vanilla CS and trim out by hand. Attach to the stamped greeting using mini glue dots. Punch an additional piece of Lucky Limeade CS with the Decorative Label punch. Cut into two halves (top & bottom). Trim away points on the sides. Attach to the back of the stamped greeting. Attach to the card using dimensionals.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I have another workshop card for you today. I started with a Midnight Muse card base and embossed the front panel with the Framed Tulips embossing folder. Next I used the Print Poetry DSP paper stack and cut the floral pattern in half. (That way you can get eight pieces from each paper stack.) Then I layered it on a piece of 3.5" x 4.75" piece of Gumball Green cardstock.

The lengthwise strip of DSP is cut 1.25" x 4.25" and layered on a slightly wider strip of Gumball Green cardstock. I added a piece of Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon before adhering the entire panel to the card base.

I stamped the sentiment in Midnight Muse ink using the "Just Thinking" stamp and then die cut it with the Window Frame Collection Framelits coordinating die. I attached the sentiment to the card using dimensionals. I pmade a small flower with the Itty Bitty Shapes flower punch out of Gumball Green card stock and added a rhinestone to center. I attached a bow to base of sentiment using mini glue dots.

Friday, March 22, 2013

I have one more Easter project for you today. This cute little Picket Fence Easter Basket looks much harder to make than it actually is. The secret is to use the lower portion of the Fancy Favor box die to create a basic basket.

Cut a 3"x11.5" piece of Whisper White card stock. Now use the Fancy Favor Box Die to cut the bottom portion of the box. Assemble the box. It will be about 2" shorter than a normal Fancy Favor box. Cut 10 pieces of Whisper White CS into 1"x3" strips. Hand cut the point of each "picket". Emboss all ten pieces using the Woodgrain embossing folder. Sponge Soft Suede ink onto each picket. For the handle attach a 1/2"x6" piece of Whisper White CS to each side using brads. Glue fence pieces to the sides of the box using Tombo Multi-purpose adhesive. Let dry.

Stamp the striped flag from the "Hearts A Flutter" stamp set with Primrose Petals ink and cut it out using the Hearts A Flutter framelit that has a tag shape. Now stamp the solid flag with Primrose Petal ink and use the Bitty Butterfly punch to create the embellishment. Add pearls to the butterfly and attach it to the basket using mini glue dots.

To finish the tag, stamp the solid image (with the tiny heart) from the "Pretty Petites" stamp set (Sale-a-bration) with Baja Breeze ink. Punch out image with the coordinating Petite Curly Label Punch. Now stamp the "hello" tag
with Primrose Petals ink. Punch out the circle using one of the circles from the "Owl Builder" punch...it’s the perfect size and gives you another use for the punch. Attach "hello" to solid square to cover the heart. Now use a dimensional to attach to the tag. Tie on a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon and tie a bow. Punch a small hole at the top of the tag and attach the tag to the bow.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Today's project is a cute little favor for Easter. I used the Petite Pocket die to cut Whisper White card stock. I recommend using the Distressed Dots background stamp, but I don't have that one, so I improvised and used a pencil eraser to stamp the dots. I chose to make this project monochromatic (Wisteria Wonder). I stamped the lining with the argyle stamp from the Beyond Plaid set...it's a great way to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your supplies.

I used the bunny image from A Little Bit of Spring set for the focal image and watercolored it to coordinate with the rest of the project. A few months ago I did a video tutorial on how to make this cute paper faux bow. It makes a great embellishment and looks really cute on this project. I made this in a hurry as a prototype for Jill, so I didn't have any candy to put in it. But I was thinking that it would be really cute filled with pixie straws. I would love to see what you come up with.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

With Easter just a few weeks away, I thought I would go ahead and show you Easter-related projects before it is too late.

I love the bright, cheerful colors of the flowers on this card. I used three different stamp sets: Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB), Secret Garden, & Easter Blessings. The colors are Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, and Basic Black. I added some Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine and a Daffodil Delight Button, but if you wanted a flat card that is easy to mail, you could easily leave those off and still have a great card. I have two more Easter projects to share with you, so be sure to check back again later in the week.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Today's card is the alternate version of the card I shared in my last post. Most of the details are the same, but there are a few differences. For this card I started with an Island Indigo card base and layered on a slightly smaller piece of Crumb Cake card stock that I embossed with the Vine Street embossing folder from Sale-a-bration. Just like the other card, there is lots of sponging with Early Espresso Ink. I added Sycamore Street DSP and some Summer Starfruit ribbon before attaching everything to the card base.

For this card I stamped the flowers in Summer Starfruit. I also cut a flower from Summer Starfruit CS using the Blossom Party die and added a button from the Sycamore Street collection threaded with Island Indigo Bakers Twine.

By the way, my next three posts will be Easter-related, so be sure to check back every few days!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

I have a little confession to make. A few months ago my upline, Jill Olsen, asked me to design some cards for her March large-group event in St. George, Utah. So if you have been wondering why I haven't been blogging much, this is basically the reason.

Creating workshop cards for a big event (over 100 stampers) was challenging, but I think it all turned out well. I ended up designing fifteen projects (some with two versions) that focused primarily on products from Sale-a-bration and the Spring Mini Catalog. I promised Jill that I would keep the projects under-wraps until after the event, so now that it is over, I can begin sharing them will all of you.

SO GLAD CARD

For this card I used a standard Crumb Cake card stock base and Sycamore Street DSP cut into 1" x 5.25" strips. I attached the dsp strips to a 5.25" x 4" Crumb Cake layer and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. Next I cut a Scallop Edge Medallion from Pool Party CS using Perfect Pennants Die and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. I cut a 2" circle of Whisper White CS using the Circles #2 Die and stamped a greeting from the "Bloomin’ Marvelous" (Sale-a-bration) stamp set using Island Indigo ink.

I sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink and adhered it to the scallop circle base. Next I stamped the flower full strength with Tangerine Tango ink on Whisper White CS. I trimmed the flower by hand and attached it to the tag using a dimensional. I added a rhinestone to the flower center and added a small bow made with Island Indigo Ribbon from the Sycamore Street ribbon & button pack (Sale-a-bration).

Just a side note: Jill may have altered a project in order to streamline the stamping process or better utilize products that she may have already had on-hand. My prototypes may vary slightly or even significantly from the final workshop projects. Also, I think she only used three or four of the cards I designed, so some of these may have only been on display or not used at all.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Sorry for the little break in posts. I finally have something new to share with you today...Woo Hoo! This card uses the Rain or Shine stamp set (#126777) along with the coordinating Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP (#126922).

This card required a little bit of hand-cutting, but it was so worth it. The dimensionals under the umbrella really have a hugh impact on the look and feel of the card. I also stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners and due cut it using the coordinating Bitty Banners Framelits. I hope to be able to start sharing on a regular basis later this week, so be sure to check back soon.